Labor Day
by sycoandcrazy.inc
Summary: Detective Files AU. Follows Apprentice. Kuwabara goes to Wayne Manor for the promised cookout by the pool and meets Bruce Wayne for the first time.


Labor Day arrived, and Kuwabara found himself more excited for the holiday than he would have expected, given he didn't know anything about it. The simple fact that he was going over to Dick's house and hang out at his pool was reason enough to be excited as far as he was concerned.

"I wonder why they have Labor Day though," Kuwabara mused out loud as he dressed. "I'll have to ask Dick."

Speaking of Dick, it was eleven already. Kuwabara quickly pulled on his shoes and rushed outside so he wouldn't leave Dick waiting. Kuwabara's timing was perfect as he made it out to his dorm's parking lot just as Dick pulled in on his motorcycle. Dick flipped up his visor on his helmet and grinned at him. "Hey, Kaz! Ready to go?"

"Oh yeah," Kuwabara said returning Dick's grin. Dick had one of those infectious smiles that it was impossible not to return. He put on the helmet that Dick gave him and hopped on the back of the motorcycle. He wrapped one arm loosely around Dick's waist, which was a little awkward to him, but he'd rather have a little awkward contact than go flying off the back of Dick's motorcycle.

Dick took off and Kuwabara had a déjà vu as he remembered riding with Robin in the wee hours Sunday morning. Of course Robin had had a sweeter motorcycle, and he'd driven so fast that Kuwabara in his exhausted state had been forced to hold on tight with both arms to Robin. Apparently speed limits didn't apply to super heroes. Dick's driving was much more reasonable, but the sensations of riding the motorcycle were the same.

_Motorcycles are awesome,_ Kuwabara thought, reveling in the feeling of freedom that the motorcycle gave him as the wind rushed around him. He mentally added owning a motorcycle to his list of things to do before he died.

It took longer than Kuwabara had expected to make it to Wayne Manor because it rested at the edge of the city. When they arrived Kuwabara was really glad he had his helmet to hide the way his jaw dropped. Kuwabara had known that Dick's guardian was rich; he could even remember his RA Joe saying that Bruce Wayne was one of the wealthiest people in Gotham City. But Dick was so friendly and down to earth the idea that he came from wealth hadn't really sunk in like it was doing now. Kuwabara swallowed, feeling a new rift forming between them. How could he become good friends with someone who stood so far above him?

Dick pulled into the driveway and turned off the motorcycle. Kuwabara slid off and took off his helmet, finding it difficult to take his eyes off of the mansion the whole time.

"Well, this is home sweet home," Dick said.

"It's…big," Kuwabara said, at a loss for anything else to say about it.

Dick laughed. "Yeah, it is. I thought it was kind of creepy at night too when I first moved in."

"Yeah?" Kuwabara asked, his curiosity piqued. He hadn't heard yet how Dick had wound up being the ward of Bruce Wayne.

"Yeah," Dick said. "I was only eight when I moved in, and it was just me, Bruce, and Alfred, and Bruce wasn't around much the first few weeks. Sometimes it felt like I was the only one in there, and I wasn't used to being alone back then."

Dick frowned and his normally cheerful eyes darkened, making Kuwabara realize for the first time that Dick was more than his constant smiles and jokes, just like there was more to Yusuke than his snarky attitude. Kuwabara also finally realized that for Dick to be Bruce Wayne's ward that meant his parents had to have abandoned him or died. Just like that the awkwardness Kuwabara had felt vanished. Money or no money, Dick was still Dick, and he was someone Kuwabara wanted to get to know and to have as a friend.

"So," Kuwabara said to break the silence, "are we hitting the pool or what?"

Dick looked over at him and grinned. "Of course! Follow me."

Dick jogged up the stairs that led to the front doors and unceremoniously pushed his way inside. Kuwabara followed close on his heels. He tried valiantly not to gape at the house, but the furnishings screamed wealth, and it was hard not to stare. Dick took no more notice of their surroundings than he would if they had been in their dorm.

Dick led the way to the back of the house and out by the pool. Kuwabara's eyes widened at the sight. The pool in Dick's backyard was nicer than the pool that was housed in the campus recreation center. Stretching from four feet to fourteen feet deep, the pool sported both a high dive and a low dive, a lap lane, and a miniature waterfall. Off to the side Kuwabara caught sight of a Jacuzzi, but it was too warm a day for that to tempt him.

A sizzling sound caught Kuwabara's attention and he looked to his left to see an older man with white hair, a small black mustache, dark eyes and wearing a full on tux cooking hotdogs and hamburgers on a grill. The incongruity of the image should have been funny, but there was something about the man that made it hard to laugh at him.

"Hey, Alfred, is the food ready yet?" Dick asked.

"It will be shortly, Master Dick," the man answered without looking up from what he was doing.

"Oh, by the way, this is my friend Kazuma Kuwabara," Dick said. "Kaz, this is Alfred. He works for Bruce."

Alfred looked over at Kuwabara, and while he didn't exactly smile, his eyes still seemed friendly. "A pleasure to meet you, sir."

Kuwabara rubbed the back of his head, not entirely comfortable with being called 'sir' by a man that was obviously so much older than him. "Nice to meet you too."

"Is Bruce up yet?" Dick asked.

"He should be," Alfred said. "I expect he'll be down when his stomach tells him it's time."

Kuwabara was surprised at the question. It was nearly noon. Why would Dick have to ask if the man was up yet or not? And what kind of person slept until noon anyway?

Well, okay, he would sleep until noon if given the chance, but Kuwabara had an excuse. He was a college student. Bruce Wayne had no such excuse.

"While we're waiting for the food, want to race in the pool, Kaz?" Dick asked.

Kuwabara grinned at the challenging glint in Dick's eyes. How long had it been since he'd been in any kind of friendly competition? "You're on!"

They tossed their shirts and shoes and hopped in the pool. "Alfred, can you call the start?" Dick asked.

"Go," Alfred said without looking up.

Seconds into their race, Kuwabara knew he was in trouble. While he knew how to swim, it wasn't something he did frequently. Dick on the other hand cut through the water like he'd been born in it. Kuwabara had thought that his strength and speed would give him an edge, but apparently not. Kuwabara made it back to the starting point a good ten seconds behind Dick.

_Well, this is familiar, _Kuwabara thought as his head broke the water and he heard Dick's laughter. Yusuke always laughed too whenever he beat Kuwabara.

"You don't swim much, do you?" Dick asked.

"Not that much," Kuwabara said.

"Well, you'll never be much competition swimming like that," Dick said. "Let me give you a few pointers and you'll be swimming like a fish."

Kuwabara stared at Dick for a moment. Now _this _was something new. Yusuke had never offered Kuwabara pointers after he lost a fight. Kuwabara doubted it would ever occur to Yusuke to do anything like that. But to be fair, it had never occurred to Kuwabara to ask.

"Sounds great," Kuwabara said.

Dick showed him how to properly do various swimming strokes, and Kuwabara was pleased with how quickly he caught on. He enjoyed mastering new physical activities, and Dick was a good teacher.

"The food is ready," Alfred called, interrupting the lesson.

"Great, I'm starved," Dick said, pulling himself out of the pool.

"Me too," Kuwabara said, climbing out after him. They piled their plates high and settled on some deck chairs.

"Delicious as always, Alfred," Dick said after a few bites.

"Yeah, it's great," Kuwabara said.

Alfred seemed pleased with the praise. "I'm glad you're enjoying it."

"Hey, Dick," Kuwabara said between bites of hot dog. "I've been meaning to ask. What's Labor Day about exactly?"

Dick paused in his eating. "You know, I don't have a clue. I just know we always get the day off of school and work."

"It's supposed to be a day for celebrating the economic and social contributions of workers."

Kuwabara started at the new voice and turned to see a new person approaching them. He was taller than Kuwabara by several inches, with black hair and blue eyes. He was broad shouldered and muscular, bespeaking of several hours spent in the gym on a daily basis. He carried himself with the easy confidence of someone who stood at the top and knew no one could hope to knock them off. However, his friendly smile stopped the confidence from treading over into arrogance.

"You must be Kazuma Kuwabara," the man said. "Dick's told me about you."

Belatedly Kuwabara realized that this must be the famous Bruce Wayne, and he shot to his feet to greet him, awkwardly trying to balance his plate of food on one hand while holding out his other hand for a handshake. "Yes, sir. It's a pleasure to meet you, and thanks for having me over."

Bruce Wayne shook his hand, and Kuwabara noticed he had a strong handshake. "I always enjoy having guests. And please, it's just Bruce. Sir is much too formal."

"I'll try to remember that," Kuwabara said, but he wasn't at all comfortable with the idea of calling Bruce Wayne by his first name. Bruce Wayne was the billionaire owner of a huge corporation. Using his classmates first names was one thing, but using Bruce Wayne's first name was another thing altogether.

"Alfred, could you bring me a plate and a drink?" Bruce Wayne asked as he settled himself in a chair.

"Of course, Master Bruce," Alfred said.

Kuwabara sat down again, and found that some of his apatite had disappeared. Dick might be down to earth and relatable despite growing up in wealth, but as friendly as Bruce Wayne was something about him was just intimidating. It didn't help Kuwabara's nerves to realize that Bruce Wayne was probably one of the most powerful men in Gotham City.

"Get enough sleep?" Dick asked dryly.

"Hey, I had a late night," Bruce Wayne said.

"Right, entertaining a new lady," Dick said. "What was this one's name?"

"I don't remember," Bruce Wayne said. Alfred appeared at his elbow with a plate of food and a martini glass filled with a clear liquid and a twist of lime peel. "Thanks, Alfred."

Kuwabara munched on a fry and tried to make sense of the image he was getting. The Bruce Wayne he was seeing now didn't fit with his stereotypes of a billionaire CEO. And the dismissive way that Bruce Wayne talked about the woman he'd seen the night before bugged Kuwabara. He ought to have the common courtesy to at least remember her name.

"So, Kazuma," Bruce said after taking a sip of his drink, "Dick tells me that you're planning to go to law school."

"Yes sir – I mean, yeah, Bruce," Kuwabara said. The name felt weird in his mouth, and Kuwabara decided not to use it again if he could avoid it.

"What kind of law are you planning to study?" Bruce Wayne asked. "International, business…?"

"Criminal," Kuwabara said firmly. "I want to make sure criminals go to jail and stay there."

Bruce Wayne nodded. "A noble goal. I certainly hope you reach it."

"Thank you," Kuwabara said.

"Hey, Kaz," Dick said. "When you're done eating, I'm going to teach you how to do a proper dive off the high dive."

Kuwabara perked up at that. "Flips too?"

Dick laughed. "Sure thing. I can do that."

Eager to learn a new trick, Kuwabara sped up his eating pace. In only a few minutes, his food was gone.

"Ready?" he asked.

Dock wolfed down the last bite of his hotdog. "Ready."

They went over to the high dive. "First I'll show you how it's done," Dick said and climbed up the ladder.

Kuwabara was no expert on diving, but he was impressed by the grace and ease with which Dick completed the dive. "That was awesome," Kuwabara enthused when Dick's head broke the water.

Dick grinned and pulled himself out. "Now it's your turn."

Kuwabara's first few attempts were laughable at best. But with Dick's patient coaching he soon caught on, and what a thrill it was when he did it right for the first time. When he surfaced he did a fist pump. "I did it!"

"Good job!" Dick said. "Now, on to flips!"

Before Kuwabara knew it, hours slipped by and the sun was starting to set. "Dick, shouldn't you and Kazuma be getting ready to head back to school? You do have classes tomorrow."

Kuwabara started a little at the sound of Bruce Wayne's voice. He'd forgotten that the man was there. Kuwabara squinted as he looked up at him, silhouetted by the sun. When Kuwabara saw Bruce Wayne outlined like that, a tickle made its way up and down his spine and his stomach felt cold.

Dick's voice broke the moment. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

_What was that about?_ Kuwabara wondered as he accepted the towel Alfred offered him. Bruce Wayne was human, and he didn't have a single drop of spirit energy. There was nothing about him that should have caused the tickle feeling to happen.

_The tickle hasn't ever been wrong before though,_ Kuwabara thought. Sure, he'd interpreted wrong before, but the tickle itself had never been wrong. But what about Bruce Wayne could have set it off?

_Guess I'll just have to keep my eyes and ears open. Maybe I'll figure it out._

* * *

AN: More of a setup to future installments than anything else, but I had fun writing it. Hope you all enjoyed reading it!


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